Hi there!
Two CHinese GM's on top of the standings after seven rounds:
---- 6 points
Ni, Hua
Li, Chao
---- 5.5
Mark Paragua
Rolando Andador
---- 5 points
Zhang, zhong
Li, Ruofan
Zhou, Weiqi
---- 4.5
Wesley So
Ronad Dableo
Oliver Dimakiling
Huang, Qian
Barlo Nadera
Eugen Torre
Oliver Barbosa
Rolando Nolte
Dino Ballecer
--------
Tomorrow will be the 8th round, prior to the penultimate 9th round on Friday. There will only be one round tomorrow and it starts by 3 in the afternoon.
For the Challenge division, It's Julius Sinangote leading the pack.
I watched the game between Marc Nazario and McDominique Lagula closely. It was won by the 12 year old McDo. Whew!
Also, I saw first hand the match between Wesley and his Chinese opponent. Man oh man! Would you believe Wesley was perspering during the closely fought and game? He was shaking his head too and I can't help but be awed by this dramatic scenario. For those who say chess is a boring, heartless game, think again! Try to watch top level chess games and you'll know what I'm saying.
On the other hand, I saw the ending of the game between GM Eugene Torre and her lower rated female chines opponent. Watch out for the PGN of this game because from what I saw, they needed aother score sheet. It was a long game and hardly fought. The thing is, when the female player resigned, everyone in the room had a thing or two to say about the game... IT WAS A DRAW had she seen the draw. Even GM Torre was agreeing... GM Antonio showed it too over the board while the rest of us watched.
So who says chess is a boring game?
Bad day for Philippine chess! It started early morning of November 26, 2007, as lone Filipino representative to the World Championship Cycle, GM-elect Darwin Laylo loses to super GM Etienne Bacrot of France, who surely doesn’t play a game of chance in chess as he plays it in poker.
ReplyDeleteThen four of our IM’s loses the chance to get the elusive GM title as they exhaust all means to get their final norms in the ongoing 2nd GMA Cup. International Master Wesley So, Ronald Dableo, Oliver Dimakiling and Jayson Gonzales, all of them at the helm, trailing the Chinese GM’s by a full or half point going into the last three rounds of the tournament. The pivotal seventh round pairings emerged as if fate was on our side, as all of them were to face Grandmasters, the title they have been hunting down for so long. Three of the GM’s were Chinese, and now the chance of not only gaining the norm was on their hands but also to positioned themselves on top and vie for the Cup! But they stumbled anew against the mighty Chinese!!! Even our fifth IM (JC Sadorra) who is looking for his first GM-norm loses his game against a Chinese.
The brighter side of this story was that GM Mark Paragua has taken the cudgels and would try to bring a nice ending into this sad story. Another thing, is that, this tournaments, staged through heroic efforts of NCFP prexy Hon. Prospero Pichay, produces numerous talents that have been untapped, not given opportunity and chance, to shine and prove that we are not lacking in talent! A year ago its Hamed Nouri, then the Visayan Giant Killes Kim Steven Yap! And now Andador,and Sadorra were showing their wares!
And even Ballecer, out to prove a point,is playing chess on a different level. Mathematically these three still have a chance on getting the GM norm, with Andador already secured of an IM-norm, Ballecer half point away of it and Sadorra 2 wins away from the GM-norm. Nolte also needs to 2/2 for the GM-norm while Senador, Hamed and Barbosa a sweep of their 2 remaining games for the IM-norm, of course barring any technicalities such as the number of titled players they have to face. Andador needs at least a point from his last two games to get his first GM norm.
Interesting fights all the way! For those who play in Chessbase's chess server, playchess, check out SuperCrazy (top bullet 2830)(PHILIPPINES) who plays nothing but 1) h4! for the first move!...and wins against almost anybody! Very interesting style!
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